IRELAND BACK ROW Jack Conan did not train with the rest of the Ireland squad on the pitch at their base in Tours earlier today as his rehabilitation of a foot injury continues.
31-year-old Conan suffered the injury six weekends ago in Ireland’s World Cup warm-up win over Italy.
He has been sidelined ever since but Ireland boss Andy Farrell included the Leinster man in his 33-man World Cup squad.
While Ireland have provided optimistic updates on Conan’s progress, he trained on his own in the gym today while the 32 other members of the squad were out on the pitch preparing for Saturday’s clash with Tonga in Nantes.
Ireland have not ruled Conan out of the Tonga game and they remain hopeful that he can recover in order to play a big part in this World Cup campaign.
Conan had his 2019 World Cup cut short by a foot injury and deserved better luck this time around, but has had to deal with the frustration of another similar issue four years on.
The rest of Farrell’s squad were out on the pitch at Stade de la Chambrerie this morning, including loosehead prop Dave Kilcoyne and hooker Dan Sheehan, who have been sidelined in recent weeks with respective hamstring and foot injuries, as well as centre Robbie Henshaw, who pulled out of last weekend’s game against Romania with a hamstring concern.
Gavin coombes must feel even more bitter right now. Bringing an injured 2nd choice 8
@Gary Galligan: Just shows how good Conan is that he inspires that much faith in the coaching staff.
@Gary Galligan: i am sure coombes is preparing for his possible call up and working on the things he was told to work on in order to be picked in the future…and he will leave the bitterness to those more qualified in that behaviour…
@Gary Galligan: he’s from the wrong province so won’t be considered…..
@Patrick Kennedy: Prendergast is next in line I’d say. Not that I agree with it necessarily, but with Prendergast getting a chance in the warm up at #8, he had to be next in the pecking order i would imagine.
@Mark Murphy: either way, it looks like we’ll be we’ll stocked at 8 for a few years to come.
@Mark Murphy: looks like it alright, but backrow is very attritional so coombes had better be ready…and if he’s not called up then at least he can hit the ground running once the munster season kicks into gear
@Philyclever@eircom.net: It is disgraceful the way the IRFU coaching staff are all former Leinster players, isn’t it? How’s a Munster man supposed to get a look in with Kildare’s Paul O’Connell on the staff.
@Philyclever@eircom.net: he got a good lesson on Friday in Cork from max deagan.
@Gary Galligan: Would love to see him slamming tries from 5 metres but AF hates him, he’ll be waiting until the next cycle. He’s literally done everything you could possibly want from a classic 8 point of view.
@chris mcdonnell: You mean where he played in the second row?
Would think that Prendergast is the next cab off the rank
@Kevin Ryan: yep, ahead of Coombes. May not be quite as dynamic carrying, but much greater range, link play and lineout threat…
@Sea Point: cant say id agree with you there. Coombes has far better hands.
@Kevin Ryan: wHaT aBoUt GaViN cOoMbEs?
@Andrew Martin Farrell: I’m just commenting on who is likely to be called up. Andrew David Farrell must think Cian P a better fit as he played him against England while Coombes released earlier.
@Sea Point: Dunno, They’re both pretty versatile, but in different directions, dont see CP as an 8 really, versatile back rower more of 7, Coombes versatile back roweer but more of 6, 5, 4 (for which we’re pretty comfortable). Coombes has never had a look even when he was the top try scorer in the league for his team. Farrell definitely prefers the energy CP brings, depends on what he wants but he really doesn’t like GC.
That’s concerning.
Also not great for Doris as he has to play every week!
Please don’t flog Doris for another week. He’s had so many minutes recently. There isn’t many other options, Berine can play 8 but he’s played loads recently too
@Andrew Slazenger: You’re certainly not wrong! No8 v Tonga is going to be a physical drain and both Beirne and Doris have 80s in 35C+ on their clocks. Conan would definitely have started if fit, so having the extra back in the squad with nothing to do looks rather silly. Guessing best option is 40mins each for Doris and Beirne, Hendy and McCarthy at lock (Ryan on bench)
@Andrew Slazenger: I don’t really get this idea that Doris has been ‘flogged’. He’s played in the (4?) warm-up games but, like many of the other Leinster guys, not much else since the 6N. Isn’t that just a fraction of what Will Skelton has been doing and generally against much lower quality opposition in the summer?
Meanwhile, we seem to have backs that are not going to figure holding up slots on the 33 .. given the fixture sequence and injury-carrying profile (4 forwards with knocks), was 18-15 the right mix? With 19 forwards, Prendergast would be starting Saturday if Conan wasn’t fit.
@John Morris: This way we got to rest any 3 of Keenan, Hansen, Lowe, Ringrose, Aki, all of whom are crucial to how we play, they prioritised those players over the forwards, it was one or the other
@Robert O’Connor: Like the way we got to rest any 3 of the above in our easiest match? And if you think any 3 of that group are going to be rested in any of the remaining matches then I’m not sure what page you’re on!